Neuf revamping VOD service

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PARIS -- French telecommunications group Neuf Cegetel has redesigned its popular VOD service and signed with major Gallic film studios to launch a new VOD platform, the group said Tuesday.

The company, which has lured 750,000 subscribers to its VOD service since its launch more than a year ago, has inked a deal with Netgem subsidiary Glowria to offer titles from major U.S. studios including Paramount, Sony, NBC Universal and Warner Bros.

Neuf also will offer such local boxoffice hits as "Asterix at the Olympic Games," "Persepolis" and "Welcome to the Land of the Shtis" thanks to content deals with Studiocanal, Pathe, EuropaCorp, TF1 International, SND/M6, Diaphana, UniversCine, La Fabrique de Films and Wild Bunch.

Neuf VOD will offer more than 3,500 programs and Neuf TV subscribers can access more than 5,000 programs including content from parallel network's VOD plans: TF1 Vision and M6 Video.

Neuf also will launch a customer interface for the VOD service complete with news and promotional channel "L'Actu Neuf VOD," where subscribers can access movie reviews, bonuses, trailers, multilingual versions of content and HD and Dolby 5.1 formats.

"With this new approach, Neuf Cegetel moves on from being a simple distributor of services published by third parties to become a services publisher in its own right, with video-on-demand (acquisition, editorial content, promotion) an integral part of its business," according to Neuf.